1968 Country Classic Was Released Before Its Writer Finished It

Many musicians report that their biggest hits came to them almost instantly and were written in just minutes. However, few - if any - share the same experience as country icon Glen Campbell, whose magnum opus, "Wichita Lineman," was sent out as a single before Jimmy Webb, his creative partner, had even finished writing the song.

Webb, who penned the song specifically for Campbell, was requested by the record label to write another location-specific song, following the success of Campbell's rendition of Webb's "By the Time I Get to Phoenix." Webb opted for "writing about the common man, the blue-collar hero who gets caught up in the tides of war, as in ‘Galveston,' or the guy who's driving back to Oklahoma because he can't afford a plane ticket," Webb later told American Songwriter.

"So it was a character that I worked with in my head. And I had seen a lot of panoramas of highways and guys up on telephone wires … I didn't want to write another song about a town, but something that would be in the ballpark for him."

While Webb slowly, and at times, achingly, crafted the next stage of his storytelling in song, Campbell, along with his producer, Al De Lory, grew impatient, under tight label deadlines to release the next big country hit.

"They said, 'We're really in a hurry, send it over,'" Webb later told BBC. "And I said, 'OK, but the third verse I don't have'."

After Webb sent the unfinished lyrics over, he found out that De Lory's uncle had worked as a lineman. "As soon as I heard that opening line," De Lory said. "I could visualise my uncle up a pole in the middle of nowhere. I loved the song right away."

"He wrote it for me in no time," Campbell added. "Jimmy Webb is just that kind of a writer. He's such a gifted man."

Guided by De Lory and recorded in collaboration with the Wrecking Crew, the iconic Los Angeles-based session musicians group who helped develop Phil Spector's "Wall of Sound" production style, "Wichita Lineman" mimicked the sound of telephone wires using the Wrecking Crew's strings.

Depicting the story of a lonely lineman in the Midwest, hoping to reconnect with his lost love, the narrator confesses, "And I need you more than want you/And I want you for all time/And the Wichita lineman/Is still on the line." If this sounds like an abrupt with no resolution, that's exactly what happened - as Webb hadn't finished the final verse before it was recorded.

Upon its release in October 1968, "Wichita Lineman" topped the Billboard country charts and was certified gold the following year. Beyond initial commercial success, the song is listed in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time List, and was referred to as "the greatest song ever written" by Bob Dylan. Whether or not Webb agreed with his peers, the song was perfect.

"A couple of weeks later I ran into him [Glen Campbell] somewhere, and I said, 'I guess you guys didn't like the song.'" Webb told the BBC. "He said, 'Oh, we cut that'. I said, 'It wasn't done! I was just humming the last bit!'"

"He said, 'Well it's done now!'"

This story was originally published by Men's Journal on Jun 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Men's Journal as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 8:00 AM.